Ghost Story

As some of you may know, Friday last, we had an awful rail collision about 20 miles from here in Chatsworth (incidentally-right near the location of Charles Manson’s hideout) in the Santa Susana Pass. A Metrolink commuter train blew through a red signal and slammed, full speed, into an oncoming Union Pacific freight train. There were 25 deaths and hundreds of maimings. It is believed that the Metrolink engineer was too fucking busy TEXT MESSAGING (yes, you read that right), to be bothered by little things like..ummm…HIS FUCKING RESPOSIBILITY FOR HUNDREDS OF LIVES, 25 OF WHOM ARE NOW FUCKING DEAD BECAUSE OF HIM.

But I digress.

The tragedy occured at approximately 4:25pm Friday afternoon

Charles Peck, 49, of Salt Lake City, Utah, had flown in that morning to LA for a job interview. He was very excited, because this job would be his ticket to a move to sunny California, where his fiance, Andrea Katz, lives. He took the Metrolink train for the hour and 30 minute ride from Bustling Union Station to quiet little Moorpark, where Andrea was to meet him for a romantic weekend.

That hour and 30 minute trip instead now stretches into eternity for Charles Peck.

at 5:03pm, Andrea was just pulling into the Moorpark station when she heard over her car radio of the collision. The details were sketchy at that point, but there were reported deaths. Andrea’s heart felt as if it had been wrenched from her and thrown down a well.

She Knew Chuck was on that train.

At 5:45pm, her cell phone rang.

The screen showed it was Chuck. Frantically she picked it up, hands shaking, relief filling her whole being. “Chuck! Thank God! are you ok?”

Nothing could she hear but faint rustlings on the other end. Static. Dead silence.

As she had earlier, when she first knew he was aboard the train, she called his cell phone. “Chuck, if you can hear this, please know we’re going to find you! You’re going to be ok”

“I love you” she said.

Then, over the next several hours, Chucks mother recieved her call from Chuck’s cell phone.

Static. Rustling sounds.

Chuck’s sister, his boss in Salt Lake City, his friends, his associates. All recieved calls from Chuck.

All were the same.

Static. Queer Rustling sounds.

In all, 35 phone calls were recieved from Chuck’s cell phone.

Frantically, they left him voice messages:”Chuck! hang in there!” Chuck! they’re coming for you, hang on!”

Then, as mysteriously as they began, the calls ceased. Forever.

Charles Peck’s body was recovered the next morning from the wreckage of the train. It is uncertain where he was on the train, in eithr the first or second car. Both were destroyed in the wreck.

What is certain is that Charles Peck was most certainly killed instantly. His body was mangled completely, his head twisted nearly off and his lower head ripped apart at the jaw. He was identified by his wallet.

His Cellphone, to date, has not been found.

The phone calls remain unexplained.

“He was a gentleman — so insightful, always present. The love that we had for each other is enough to last a lifetime.”